ṣ l m
19 lemmas · 8 languages
soundAll three consonants are regularT Num.14.9
Themes:image·4picture·3photograph·3figure·2black· أَسْوَد · שָׁחוֹר·2
POS shape:noun·13verb·3adj·3
This root is attested across 8 Semitic languages in our index. Each section below shows representative lemmas; attested means a Wiktionary editor explicitly tagged the root, inferredmeans we derived it mechanically from the word's consonantal skeleton.
Etymology treehow this root diverged from Proto-Semitic through the family
*ṣ-l-mProto-Semitic
West Semitic
Central Semitic
Northwest Semitic
Ugaritic𐎕𐎍𐎎𐎕 𐎍 𐎎— image
Canaanite
Hebrewצִלֵּםצ ל ם— To photograph, to take a photograph of.
Aramaic
Syriacܨܠܡܐܨ ܠ ܡ— image, picture
Assyrian NAܡܨܲܠܸܡܨ ܠ ܡ— to imagine, envision, picture
Arabic
Arabicفَاصِلَة مَنْقُوطَةص ل م— semicolon
South Semitic
Old South Arabian
OSA𐩮𐩡𐩣𐩬𐩮 𐩡 𐩣— statue
Ethio-Semitic
Ge'ezጸሊምጸ ለ መ— black, dark-colored
Tigrinyaጸሊምጸ ለ መ— black
Branch structure: Huehnergard (2005), Rubin (2010). The reconstructed Proto-Semitic form is computed on the fly from the cognate set's majority reflex pattern.
Ugaritic
irregular reflexug · 1 lemma- imageCompare Hebrew צֶלֶם (ṣélem).
Old South Arabian
irregular reflexosa · 1 lemma- statue
Classical Syriac
syc · 1 lemma- image, pictureCompare Hebrew צֶלֶם (ṣélem).
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
aii · 2 lemmas- to imagine, envision, pictureIntensitive stem derived from the noun ܨܲܠܡܵܐ (ṣalmā, “image”).
- image, form, figureInherited from Aramaic צַלְמָא (ṣaləmā); cognate with Hebrew צֶלֶם (tsélem), Akkadian 𒀩 (ṣalmum) and Arabic صَنَم (ṣanam) by dissimilation of /l/ to /n/.
▸ 3 derivations
- derivedܣܓ݂ܵܕ݂ܲܬ݂ ܨܲܠܡܹ̈ܐsḡāḏaṯ ṣalmē
- derivedܡܨܲܠܸܡmṣallim
- derivedܡܨܲܠܡܸܢmṣalmin
Hebrew
he · 8 lemmas- To photograph, to take a photograph of.
- to take a selfie.
- camera (a device for taking still or moving pictures or photographs)Coined by Hebrew poet, author, and editor Hayim Nahman Bialik, from צַלָּם (tsalám, “photographer”), coined by David Yellin based on צֶלֶם (tsélem, “image, likeness”). Yellin suggested the term *צַלְמוֹנִיָּה (tsalmoniyá), which Bialik wanted to replace because of his dislike for the suffix ־ִיָּה (-iya).
- action or processAction noun of צילם / צִלֵּם (tsilém).
- figurine, statuette: A small carved or molded figure.
- photograph, photo, picture
- graven imageCognate with Akkadian 𒀩 (ṣalmum), Classical Syriac ܨܠܡܐ (ṣalmā) and, by dissimilation of /l/ to /n/, Arabic صَنَم (ṣanam).
- photographerCoined by Jewish educator, writer and scholar David Yellin, based on צֶלֶם (tsélem, “image, likeness”) (above).
Arabic
ar · 1 lemma- semicolon
Ge'ez
gez · 3 lemmas- black, dark-coloredSee ጽልመት (ṣəlmät).
- darkness, shade, shadow, dimness
- darknessDirect cognate or parallel formation to Arabic ظُلْمَة (ẓulma, “darkness”).
Tigrinya
ti · 2 lemmas- black
- alternative spelling of ጸሊም (ṣälim)